I am a born again Christian. I do not believe in abortion. I think it is morally wrong, biblically unacceptable. But if my daughter was raped or the victim of incest, I would allow her to have an abortion. In fact, I would encourage it.
Those words come from one of my fellow Christians, were not mine. They came from a dear friend who is a very strong Christian. His argument was seemingly well taken for all discussion about abortion is theoretical, in the world of the hypothetical unless abortion happens to:
YOU
What would you do, father or mother if your daughter, became pregnant and would have a child born unplanned and even unwanted? What would you do? What would you decide and how would you make that decision? If your daughter wanted, even begged for an abortion so as not to have her life ruined by RAPE, would you turn her down? And if she had an abortion, would you shun her, ostracize her, remove her from your family or worst of all, seize loving her, would you?
The real question is, are there any circumstances, any at all where the otherwise brutal, killing act of abortion can be justified, any at all?
There are Christians who do believe that abortion can be justified, even biblically so in the event of rape, incest, or the life of the mother, or the life of the baby. Do you believe that and would you participate in or at least condone the act of abortion for any of those four circumstances or happenings, would you?
There are those who say that, no matter how a woman may get pregnant, the pregnancy should be carried to full term, the baby born and if unwanted, given up for adoption. But not killed, not destroyed in the womb no matter the circumstances of conception, including rape and incest. Do you agree with that, do you? Adoption agencies the country over are ready to take the born baby, care for it and seek the right home. Therefore, don’t kill, that is abort the baby in the womb. God, they say, allowed this to happen, it was part of his WILL and therefore, this baby no matter how conceived should be born. DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT? That is really a profound issue, is it not? Why, says a family and especially the pregnant mother–to–be should we suffer, live the rest of our lives with the results of this tragedy when a simple and safe abortion would end the matter, why?
The words of my friend are haunting, my born again, Christian friend. Under any of those four circumstances, if pregnancy happened to his daughter as a result of rape, incest, or her life or that of the baby was threatened, he would gladly condone abortion for her sake. Would you, would you? I don’t know what I would do if such a tragedy had happened in my family or to one of my daughters. I suppose I would have many long and loving talks with her, I would make certain that she would consider biblical and moral points of view and I would make certain that she would wrestle with the possibility of giving birth and giving up for adoption. But if she insisted on abortion, I do not know what I would do, do you? If your daughter insisted upon having an abortion, under any of these four circumstances, would you support her, would you? Fortunately for most, these questions remain hypothetical. The issues are theoretical because any such tragic pregnancy has not happened to us, to any one in our family. But one of these tragic pregnancy circumstances happens to literally millions of families and will continue to happen. It will be an issue which will never go away no matter what the Supreme Court decides, no matter what the States decide, no matter the activities of Planned Parenthood and no matter how biblical admonishments are interpreted. The day may come when you or members of your family are forced to deal with abortion in reality rather than hypothetically. What will you do? How will you decide for abortion, whether legal or illegal will always be available, always.
Every American that Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey may well be overturned by the Supreme court in a June decision. Dobbs v. Jackson. That will not end abortion. The matter will be returned to the States and the people for decision, perhaps where that decision should be made in a democracy like America. Would that there were men and women every where who would rise up and put an end once and for all to this abominable practice. Not so for at least 24 states are poised to enact some of the most protective and pro-abortion laws and legislation ever guaranteeing the right of any woman to abortion. It will be readily available in any of those states. While some states may treat abortion as a criminal act, which in my view it is, others will make it more available than ever. Liberal private enterprise will be involved. Amazon will cover up to $4,000 in expenses annually for employees who need to travel to other states to access treatment for non-life-threatening situations including abortion. Citigroup has already done that. If any woman wants an abortion, it will be available no matter what the Supreme Court rules and whether or not it continues to be a constitutionally guaranteed right (which it is not).
But back to you and me. Do you view abortion theoretically, hypothetically, intellectually rather than actually, in reality, do you? That is really the easy way for one can always change the mind or an opinion or belief. But when a scalpel kills a baby in the womb, that is the real world hard at work no turning back. Personally, I believe abortion is murder. I would have a baby born, life created by God no matter the circumstances and deal with that human being out of the womb. What would you do? What do you believe? As you pray for the end of abortion, as I do, perhaps you and I should also pray that our daughter, or any member of our family come to us with an unwanted pregnancy asking you or me to support them as she seeks an abortion!